Human Timelord
by Nita.xx
Summary: Several regenerations have passed since the Doctor travelled with Rose, Martha and Donna. Now he will come upon another earthling - part human...and part timelord.
1. Chapter 1

**Captain Jack Harkness**

"Erica Scotts, stay behind after class please."

Finally! I'd been causing the biggest commotions in class for the past three days. The teacher – or, whatever it is – must have very good patience, or extremely blind eyes.

As the rest of the class filed out the door I stayed behind sitting lazily on the desk.

"Erica, you haven't exactly been listening in class."

"Well I don't exactly need to," I shot back.

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm smart. And I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"Hmm?"

"What are you?"

"Excuse me?"

"My teachers have never had more knowledge than me and prefer to ignore me rather than pay attention to what I do."

"Very well."

I was astonished. This alien wasn't even going to put up a fight.

"I would like to offer you an opportunity amongst us."

"And what may I ask, are us?"

"We have come from very far away – across the universe."

"And what are you planning to do?"

"Take over the earth."

I hopped off the desk and started pacing.

"See, that's what I don't get. If you wanted to invade the earth, you could have taken the place of the prime minister or the president. Even the queen! And yet you decide upon school teachers?"

"They are the present, children are the future."

"But that makes NO sense! You're willing to wait years for children to grow up?"

"In those years, if we shape their minds the way we want them, we could have an army of slaves before anyone even realises we've invaded."

"Well," I said seating myself near the door. "You're obviously not that educated."

The alien/teacher made a noise I can only assume to be a scoff.

"And what makes you think that?"

"Well, you just pretty much told me your whole plan and I am most certainly NOT going to help you."

"I didn't want to kill you," the teacher said. "But unfortunately it has come to this. Goodbye Erica Scotts."

The teacher began to swell almost like a balloon. I sat very still examining all possible outcomes of the situation. All of them were looking very grim at this moment. But as the door slammed open and a man with a gun walked in, I must admit, I felt a lot better. Never mind how weird that thought just sounded.

"Just in time," he said to himself before looking around and noticing me sitting very calmly next to the door. "Captain Jack Harkness," he said, introducing himself. "And you are?"

"Just so you know, there is an alien in this room that is about to kill me. I DON'T THINK IT'S THE TIME FOR INTRODUCTIONS!" So much for staying calm.

"Alright," he said turning back to the alien. "First time I've ever been shot down. That's going to bruise."

The alien had finally transformed back to its original form. It stood about eight foot tall and incredibly disgusting. Vomit-coloured, furry and saliva dripping from its fangs. Even the guy with the gun looked slightly repulsed.

"Hello," he said pulling the trigger and zapping the creature. The thick laser engulfed it in a large bubble and in the blink of an eye it had disappeared. "And goodbye." He took a small sphere from the base of the gun and examined it closely. I could barely see the tiny alien banging its miniscule hands against the walls. Whoa. That looked so easy…and it would've felt awesome.

"What is it," I asked as I stepped up and ran my hands along the sleek shell of the laser gun.

"A laser gun."

"Really?" I said sarcastically stepping back. "I hadn't noticed."

"Well," he rethought. "Technically, it's a laser gun model four with a portable prison cell attached."

I nodded, still astonished by the technology.

"Considering before apparently wasn't the appropriate time for introductions, maybe now might be?"

"I'm Erica Scotts."

"Well Erica Scotts, I need you to tell me everything you know about that alien, starting with how you knew it was an alien."

I walked outside swiftly into the afternoon breeze and picked my bag up from the ground.

"Well, it all began a week ago…"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to Romana-II for reviewing! But please, read enjoy and review!

**What's Wrong With Me?**

"So I come to school every day to pretty much help people through their work for the HSC. I'm already set for the exams; I've got some weird super-brain.

"Teachers were always ignoring me because they knew I knew more than them and in a way, I suppose they were jealous," I smiled. "I can still remember their faces when I recited all the bones in the human body by scientific name."

"Erica, the aliens?"

"Right. The teachers started paying more attention to me than usual. Asking me harder questions as if they were trying to outsmart me. It never worked. I answered everything they threw at me.

"I was staying back after school one day cleaning up the art storeroom-"

"You did that willingly?"

"As if!" I was astounded that he'd even thought of it. "I said something to one of the teachers and I got detention for it."

"I can imagine you being a fun student to teach," he murmured under his breath.

I ignored the snide comment and continued my story.

"Anyway, I looked down the corridor and I saw two of the teachers talking, well, more like arguing. But the language wasn't English. It was like hissing and weird noises that I can't even replicate."

"And you didn't go to investigate? Wow, talk about self-restraint."

"Well if they were aliens, I wasn't exactly going to walk up to them and say 'Hi, I just noticed you were speaking weirdly. May I ask what species you are?'"

"Yeah, that probably wouldn't have been the smartest thing to do."

"So I decided to cause a commotion in class. I started talking a lot, being very loud and distracting and I knew sooner or later the alien would get pissed off and do something drastic. And you know what happened after that."

"I come in and save you from the deadly clutches of an alien and we end up with this conversation."

"That sentence didn't need to be said, we both already knew that."

"I know," he shrugged. "I just felt like saying it."

"So Captain Jack Harkness," I said as I walked out of the school gate. "Torchwood?"

He stopped walking as I said that.

"How do you know about Torchwood?"

I looked down at the ground as I tried to remember but I couldn't. It was just a strange piece of trivia hidden in my mind.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I truly don't know."

"There might be something I can do to help that," Jack said pondering. "But I'd have to go back to HQ."

"Cardiff?"

"Yeah right on top of the ri- how do you know that!"

"I don't know," I repeated amazing even myself.

"Yes, I definitely need to get you there," Jack replied. "This is not normal."

"Well, you can do the honours of talking to my parents."

"I've done a lot of that in my time."

xxxxx

I waited outside my front door as Jack spoke to my parents.

"Piece of cake," he said as he walked out of the front door.

"What?"

"Go on, go and pack. It's not exactly an overnight trip."

I ran inside to find my parents sitting at the kitchen counter chatting away.

"Mum? Dad? You said yes!"

"Jack can help you."

"How do you know that?"

"He helped you're mother when she was younger. I'm sure he can help you too," my father replied.

"But I like being smart!"

"It's not that simple honey," my mum replied. "Jack will explain. Go and pack your bags."

I ran upstairs and threw all my clothes into my big duffel bag. I grabbed my passport and Freddy, my teddy bear, before I ran back downstairs.

"Bye-bye Erica," my mother said giving me an enormous hug. I turned to my dad and he gave me a big hug too.

"We'll see you soon!" they said.

I walked out the door by myself and out the gate with Jack. As we walked towards a taxi stand he sighed.

"Why is it that every time I want a holiday, aliens decide to invade?"

"Nara?" Jack spoke into the phone. "Have you got that teleport up and running yet?"

I could here an accented woman's voice chattering away at the other end.

"Yes I know it's illegal but I lost my plane ticket."

"_Then buy another one," _was what I think I heard from the other end.

"I, uh, kind of lost my passport too."

"_Well, it's going to take me at least another hour if you don't want to end up in Hawaii."_

"Oh, I dunno, Hawaii might be kind of fun," he replied winking at me. I rolled my eyes in response but couldn't help blushing.

"Alright then," he said. "Call me when you're done." He flipped the phone closed before turning to me. "I suppose you want to know what this whole thing is about."

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"Maybe, coffee then?"

"Okay," I answered picking my bag off the ground, kind of annoyed that I wouldn't need my passport anymore. "Coffee."

xxxxx

We sat at a café with people staring at my bags as they walked past.

"My mother," I began. "My father said you helped her when she was younger. But how is that even possible. I mean you're what, late forties at the most?"

"A bit higher than that," he said.

"Fifty?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"This is getting ridiculous. Sixty?"

"You think that sixty is ridiculous? I haven't been sixty in more than one-hundred years. And I have now said too much."

"You're one-one hundred and sixty?" I stuttered absolutely amazed. "Are you…are you an alien."

"No," he replied. "But what made me this way is something that I want you to find out for yourself."

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

He struggled to find the right words, "This intelligence of yours, it's not normal."

"Funnily enough, I'd figured that out for myself."

"When your mother was eleven, her parents brought her to me. I wiped her memory."

"What…why?"

"It was dangerous. But she, well, she didn't have anywhere near as much knowledge as you have. It seems like this is getting stronger each generation."

"What is getting stronger," I asked getting more and more confused. "What am I?"

"You're a human Time Lord."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Whoops, I just realised that I stuck two chapters into one last chapter, meh. Please read and review!

**Fatal**

"What the hell is that?"

"Well, it's hereditary, obviously. And naturally it should be fatal-"

"WHAT!" Several people turned around in alarm.

"It's alright," Jack said to them and to me.

"What do you mean it's fatal?" I hissed.

"I mean as in drop dead. But," he hurried on seeing the expression on my face. "It's not obviously for you."

"That's a comfort to me."

"Would you prefer to be dead?" he asked in response to my sarcastic tone.

"Dying fast in comparison to dying slowly – yes."

"Who says you're dying at all?"

"You just said this time lord thing is fatal."

"No, I said it SHOULD be. But you, Erica Scotts, for some reason you're the one exception to the rule."

"But- bu-"

"Do you know who Jeriana is?"

"No," I replied. "Should I?"

"She was a time lord too."

"Good for her."

Jack looked at me.

"Right, sorry. I'm not going to speak anymore."

"Jeriana travelled in time and space. But contrary to what time lords usually do, she decided to settle down. On Earth."

"So…there was an alien walking around Earth and nobody noticed?"

"What happened to not speaking?"

"Sorry."

"Time lords regenerate. Fatal wounds, old age, anything that would kill a normal person enables them to change themselves and they literally become a new person. When Jeriana stayed on Earth, she made the choice to re-write her own DNA. She became human so she could live out her life with her human husband and die with him. But before she made that choice to become human, she had a baby girl. Her name was Georgiana."

"My great-great-great grandmother's name was Georgiana," I said. "Right at the beginning of our family tree."

"And she carried the time lord genes. You see – part human and time lord beings aren't meant to exist. The time lord part of Georgiana was building up inside her and when she was thirty it overwhelmed her and she died."

"She died?"

"Internal bleeding."

"But how can you know it was the alien-ness. That caused it."

"The same thing happened to your great-great grandmother when she was 27. And your great grandmother when she was 23. "

"Okay. But my grandmother only died a few years ago. She was 82."

"I wiped her memory when she was ten."

I sighed deeply. "I still can't believe how old you are."

"Neither can I," Jack replied as his phone began beeping.

"Meet at rendezvous point #411 at 1700 hours. That gives you ten minutes, so I'd run."

"Next time you can go on holidays and I'll stay looking at computers all day," Jack grunted into the phone as we stood up.

"Really?" the voice sounded hopeful.

"Goodbye Nara."

"I'm not forgetting!" she yelled before he hung up.

"She really did mean we've got ten minutes."

"To get where?"

"To Denson Park."

I didn't even bother to act astounded, I just started running. It was three kilometres to Denson Park. Thank God my bag was light.

Tired and puffed I arrived at the playground set. I literally collapsed onto the swing before Jack called over to me, seeming not puffed at all.

"Over here unless you want to be left in Australia!"

"It's so not worth it," I groaned as I dragged myself and my bags over to the spot.

"And five, four, three -"

I closed my eyes.

"- two, one. You can open your eyes now."

"But I'm bracing myself."

"For what?"

"Impact," I said annoyed looking at him through now open eyelids. But before closing them again I looked around at the building I was now in.

"I didn't feel anything!" I said in amazement.

"You will in a second."

"What do you mea- OH!" I clutched my head and fell to the ground in a dead faint on the floor of the Torchwood Institute.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for the alerts everyone but I would love some reviews! Enjoy!

**Wake Up Call**

"Hello! ERICA!"

"What," I mumbled turning over onto my back and opening my eyes. The face of a green alien met me.

"AHH!" I yelled scrambling backwards across the tiled floor.

"Standard response," the green person spoke. "She's fine."

"Good," Jack said walking across the room to help me up.

"I've never fainted before," I said woozily. "And I don't think I ever want to again."

"Pass me that hammer," Jack said to the green person.

She passed it to him warily looking at me as if she was trying to analyse something inside my mind.

He hit something to the left of me and only then did I turn around and view the humungous contraption that stood behind me.

"What. Is. That."

"That? Well that is a strange instrument that just happened to fall into my possession a few years ago."

"What does it do?" I asked, walking into the large circle.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked before turning around.

The look I saw on Jack's face at that moment made me doubt my decision to come here, but my mind shut down on me. And all I could see was light; all I could hear was white noise – all I could feel was pain.

I screamed on and on, but the pain didn't subside. My mind felt like it was about to explode and my whole body was burning.

I didn't even realise when it stopped.

The pain lingered constantly in my mind for the next hour even though my vision returned relatively quickly. But the things I knew…they were impossible. I could see the farthest reaches of the universe – I could name every star, every planet, every galaxy. I could see the fabric of time, things that should happen, things that could happen, and everything that had already come to pass.

And it was amazing.

When I finally stopped my screaming and the pain dulled to an annoying itch in the back of my head, I knew it was over. I knew that he had done it, my Timelord mind had been awoken – and I knew everything.

"Erica?" Jack asked quietly. "Are you alright?"

"Strangely enough," I breathed. "Yes."

"Then tell me," he said. "What am I?"

I looked at him with new eyes, seeing everything about him that defied reason. He couldn't die. That was why he was so old. I reached up and touched my hands to his head. Never dying but watching those around him fall.

I pulled myself from his mind and stepped away as I realised what his life was like. He caught my hand as I moved.

"I don't want to see anyone else die," he whispered.

"But you need me," I said, knowing that he knew it too.

"I do," he replied softly. "But more importantly, Torchwood – and by extent, the world – needs you."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for reading. As usual, reviews always appreciated!

**Back Where it All Started**

"This is fantastic," I said sitting in a swivelling chair. "My first assignment and you want me to go back home?"

"Don't worry," he replied. "I'll come with you."

"Oh, so at least I've got a body guard. By the way, are you going to introduce me to the, uh…Highterion?"

"Sorry," he said quickly, "Erica, this is Naramanikqui'aka. Generally known as Nara because her name takes too long to learn and say."

"Nice to meet you," I called across the room.

"Likewise," she said in her accented alien voice.

"So," I said, ignoring Jack and walking over to Nara who sat at the computer. "What's that?"

The screen showed DNA that couldn't possibly be human. I looked at it closer and saw a slight wavering in the pattern.

"It can't be." I said, falling back into another chair and biting my lower lip. Turning to the side, I switched on the computer. Within one minute I had hacked into the Torchwood database and was scrolling through alien species faster than lightning. Finally I stopped on one.

Species – Pevalimon

Status – Extinct

Planet of origin – Pevalie

Last sighting – 1853 Earth

"Extinct?" I scoffed. "You really need to keep on top of things Jack."

"It was only three hours ago by my watch which hasn't been set back to normal time."

"The Pevalimon told me it was invading," I continued ignoring him. "Maybe it meant an invasion of the human world. Nobody knew they were here; maybe they just want to reveal themselves."

"But then again," I said, continuing my own argument. "If they only wanted to reveal themselves, why do it in this kind of way. They don't just want to reveal themselves. This isn't a short term plan – they're willing to wait. They want to take over the world and we have to stop them."

"Then why are you complaining about going back home?"

"I was not complaining," I replied angrily. "I was being sarcastic."

"They sound the same," he muttered walking away to go check on the one unconscious Pevalimon we had in custody. I reached for the nearest thing and threw it with precision towards his retreating back.

"OWW!" I turned back to Nara with a smug look on my face.

"Are you going to give me the lowdown on all the gadgets and gizmos and stuff?"

"Depends," she replied, not moving her eyes from the screen.

"Depends on what?"

"Whether you come back from this assignment alive or not."

"You think I'm going to die," I stated.

"It's not that I want to believe that, but I do. And considering you have no prior experience and no training its just…I feel like I shouldn't be giving you all this information if you're just going to die anyway. And I'm not too sure if I can trust you either."

"Well," I replied coldly, my mood now suddenly dropping rapidly, "thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm going to go and get changed before we leave. See you around Nara…or not."

"Erica," she started.

"What?" I said sharply turning around.

"Good luck."

xxxxx

I was home again. It was nine o'clock and I lay in my bed staring at the ceiling. Mum had written me a letter stating that the last few days of term I would be away. But I had to be back in two weeks to do my HSC after the holidays. I so did not like exams.

So even though my name wasn't going to be marked on the role and I 'officially' wasn't going to be at school, Jack and I would be hiding out. There were a lot of hideouts in our school which I assumed was one of the reasons why the Pevalimon had chosen our school. They'd started out on a small scale in Australia.

I fell asleep wondering what the next day would bring.

It arrived faster than usual after a dreamless sleep. The wind forced me to wear dark jeans and a thick jacket – no way was I going back to wearing uniform.

"Here," Jack said, passing me a vest as we walked towards my school.

"You really think that aliens need guns?" I asked sceptically putting the bullet-proof vest on underneath my jacket.

"It's just a precaution. As I said, I-"

"Don't want to see anyone else die. Yeah, I know."

As we walked through the back entrance of the school, no teachers or students were about. School had started an hour ago so everyone was already in class.

"So where are these hiding spots?" Jack hissed.

"This way," I replied, running across the basketball court to the back of the art rooms.

"You sure we're not going to get caught?"

"Pur-lease," I said. "No one ever comes out here."

"Then how are we meant to get to the Pevalimon."

"Uh…" I hesitated. "Good point. Follow m – get down!"

I dragged him down behind the shrubs as two teachers came out of the back door.

"That's them," I hissed. "What do we do?"

"Take this." He passed me a gun similar to the one he'd used last time. "And just in case."  
>He handed me a regular gun.<p>

"I take it that it doesn't matter if I don't know how to work them?"

"Just try your hardest."

"This is so not going to work," I muttered, turning back to the Pevalimon in human form who were communicating in that hissing dialect. As they went in separate directions Jack followed one and I followed the other.

Mine moved quickly between buildings until I caught up to it outside the science labs.

"Hold it," I said. The person turned around and looked at me questioningly. The gun was pointed directly at them and I looked around it to try and find the trigger.

"Please work," I whispered as I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger.

The Pevalimon was back to its original form and captured inside the portable prison.

A gun shot rang throughout the air. I ran towards the sound and saw Jack being backed up against a wall by a Pevalimon.

"Oi!" I yelled out. The alien looked at me and in that moment's distraction, Jack disappeared around the corner. I didn't have another cool gun with me, so normal would have to do.  
>I shot the Pevalimon in the arm and started treading backwards just as Jack ran around the corner.<p>

"Here!" he yelled, throwing me the laser gun. Three seconds later both Pevalimon were imprisoned and the battle was done. The stranger thing was that as soon as it was over, Jack pulled me towards him and pressed his lips to mine. I was completely astonished, but when he broke away and we were both breathing heavily, all he said was, "You were amazing."

I smiled, both from the kiss and from the joy that I had just stopped an invasion.

"We'd better get back home," Jack said.

"Yeah," I replied, smiling. "Back to Torchwood."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you for the alerts and favouriting. I would love to know what you're thinking about this story, so please review!

**UNIT**

Three Months Later

As I walked through the corridors that led between departments I flicked through the files in my arms, bored. I was constantly checking my watch as I headed towards medical, not too sure what I was looking for, wondering, once again, why I was here.

"Emily!"

"Hmm?" I replied distractedly, finally looking up as I recognised the use of my cover up name. "Yes?"

"You might want to check this out," one of my superiors named Jessica said, leading me into a large room that was characterised by a huge hologram of the globe.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" I asked as I stood up against the wall.

"Take a look at Antarctica." She zoomed in on the map. "Human population – zero. Living Life forms – zero."

"But that's impossible," I said, stepping forward. "Even beneath metres of snow, there'd be plant life and animal life. Which makes you wonder, what's blocking the signal?"

"That is a very good question," a man said walking past me to stare intently at the map.

"Sorry," I said walking up to him, "But who are you and how the hell did you get in here?"

"I came in the side door."

"There are a lot of side doors."

"East side."

"There are twelve on the east side."

"Fine," he said looking over at me. "I came in the back door."

"Whatever," I said. "But you are?"

"The Doctor."

"You're kidding me."

"No, I'm the Doctor."

Everyone in the room was silent by this time. I saw one of the people at the computers reach for their communications device.

"Please don't," the Doctor said. "Nobody needs to know I'm here."

The hand kept reaching for it, but the Doctor had out his sonic screwdriver faster than lightning and the device lay on the desk hissing steam.

"What did you do that for?" I asked suspiciously.

"Bad memories," he replied putting on his glasses. "I don't like UNIT and they don't like me."

I scoffed, "Funnily enough I think they have reason to."

"They?"

"Uh…" Whoops. "We."

He raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"So," he started. "What do you think it is?"

"Centralized vacuum."

The Doctor looked over at me in astonishment.

"They don't exist."

"They do now," I responded.

"That's impossible."

"Do you want to check the stats.?"

Without answering me, he walked over to a computer and the guy moved out of the way. A few seconds later he walked back over to me and stared at the hologram again.

"And?" I asked.

"It's a centralized vacuum," he said without looking at me.

"That doesn't deserve any kind of recognition or anything?"

"Nope."

I saw Jessica standing in the corner talking to someone on her comms. device. Pulling the screwdriver out of the Doctor's pocket I aimed it at her hand and noted with satisfaction that she stopped talking, but gave me a very hard glare. I was so getting fired. I guess it was a good thing that my work here was done, so I didn't really care.

"Thanks," he said looking at me grudgingly.

"No problem."

"What's your name by the way?"

"Um…" Did it really matter about hiding it anymore? Nah, I was either getting fired or leaving anyway. "Erica Scotts."

"Right."

I could hear the muttering, but I didn't really care

He began to walk out of the room, putting his glasses back in his pocket. As he rounded the corner and I could no longer see him, Jessica started to speak, but he yelled back first.

"You coming? I'll need my sonic screwdriver!"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Since this is already written, I really just need reviews to make me update. So, you know what to do! 

**Transportation**

As we walked out onto the plain above where UNIT was hidden, I handed the screwdriver back to the Doctor.

"Thanks," he said. "By the way, how did you know how to use it?"

I shrugged, "Fast learner."

In the distance I could see the blue box waiting.

"So, Torchwood finally managed to infiltrate UNIT," the Doctor said.

"It was only a matter of time," I said, pulling a USB from my pocket. "I got everything we needed on this."

"Pass it over," he said. I handed it to him and he threw it high, before disintegrating it with his screwdriver.

"What'd you do that for?" That was two months work saved on that. Even if most of it had only been copying and pasting gradually. That was essential information if we wanted to get to the bottom of this.

"Torchwood has enough information without stealing some from UNIT. You don't need this."  
>"What am I supposed to take back then?"<p>

"I don't know…you're incredible tendency to answer impossible questions before I even know what they are."

"I had that before I left. I meant something new."

"Well…" He pulled out a key as we arrived at his ship. "You can take this experience back with you. I do take it that you know what this is by the way."

"A box," I replied, feigning stupidity.  
>"It's a TARDIS," he said, "Time And Relative-"<p>

"-Dimensions In Space," I finished. "I'm not an idiot. You said so yourself."

I got a grunt in response as he entered the Tardis. Upon following him, I got a slightly weird feeling rush through my body.

"Yes," the Doctor said as I opened my mouth. "It's bigger on the inside."

I sighed in frustration. "I already knew that."

"Oh, did you? Sorry."

"It's just different reading about something than experiencing it."

"Right," he said. "Well, you don't have to come. Last chance to leave before we end up in Antarctica."

"No way Doctor. I'm with you 'til this is finished."

"That's good then," he replied before running around twisting dials, pulling levers and hitting things until I felt a severe jolt and found myself holding a pylon for dear life.

"Why didn't you warn me!" I yelled.

"I thought you knew everything?" the Doctor replied, he himself also holding on.

"Smartass," I murmured while he smiled smugly to himself.

When we finally stopped abruptly, my muscles in my arms felt completely dead.

"Why don't you fix that?" I asked as I stood up and shook debris off myself.

"I think it makes the whole experience more enjoyable," he responded, running to the door and grabbing his coat.

"Maybe for some," I mumbled following him slowly.

"What took you so long?" he asked as I met him outside.

"Some of us don't share your enthusiasm when it comes to running out into minus thirty temperatures."

"At least it lets you know you're alive."

I kicked him in the shin and said, "That alive enough for you?" before walking back inside, already frozen.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"De-frosting."

"There's a closet…I think I might just go and get you something." He changed the direction of his sentence when he took notice of the icy glare I was giving him.

As the Doctor walked down a hallway and out of sight, my phone conveniently decided to save me the boredom of waiting and started ringing.

"Hello," I said.

"Erica?"

"Jack," I said in relief.

"May I ask why your tracking device just disappeared off my scree - what the hell are you doing in Antarctica?" The screen must have finally caught up with the transportation.

"Guess who I met?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"The Doctor."

"Really?" I could hear him finally getting interested. "And you're with him, yeah?"

"Well not at this particular moment. He's gone to get me something slightly warmer."

"Good," he said. "Make sure he takes care of you."

"And if he doesn't, I'll come running back home."

"Who's that?" the Doctor called as he came walking back into the room, a thick coat in his hands.

"Jack," I responded.

"Is that him?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Tell him hi from me."

"He says hi," I said to the Doctor.

"Tell him I'd appreciate it if Torchwood and UNIT stayed out of each other's affairs. There shouldn't be a war between them for another hundred years; I don't want it happening any earlier than that."

"Did you get that?" I said to Jack.

"Most of it."

"Good."

"Well, you'd probably better get going."

"Yeah," I said. "See you."

"Love you. 'Bye."

"Love you too. I'll be home soon."

I hung up.

The Doctor was looking at the screen, but I was sure he'd heard almost every second of that conversation.

"Thanks," I said taking the coat.

"No problem."

"Are we going?" I asked, walking towards the door.

"Just a second," he said, staring at the screen a while longer. "Alright."

We walked outside and I watched him close the door. But upon turning around, we came face to face with three Pevalimon.

"Ah," the Doctor said. "This was what i wanted to avoid."

"Not you guys again," I groaned as they lead us away.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, I took a quick trip overseas for the first time ever and got eaten alive by mosquitoes. Anyway, here's the next chapter! The following ones should be posted within a couple of days of each other following that unless for some reason I have no access to a computer and/or internet.**

**I Like Turnips**

"Doctor," I started. "They aren't taking us into the vacuum are they?"

"No," one of the Pevalimon replied. "We need you alive to speak to the Orantia for us."

"Oh," the Doctor said. "So I take it this 'Orantia' only speaks to humans?"

"No. It will only speak to a Time lord."

"What, so you create a centralized vacuum to bring me here? You know, a call on the psychic paper would've done well enough."

"The centralized vacuum is needed for the Orantia to live."

"So wait…you're telling me that this thing doesn't even need an atmosphere? How does it breathe?" I asked.

"It doesn't."

"Right."

They led us into a shed and began to search us. When they lifted an iPhone out of one of the Doctor's pockets, I stifled a laugh.

"What do you need an iPhone for? Even I don't have one."

"I don't need it, it's just an accessory, to appear normal," he said.

"Wearing clothes like that, you think an iPhone is going to make you appear normal?"

"Well…maybe not. But I like the idea of it."

They took my phone, my keys, my broken USB and a hand gun out of my coat. The last of which the Doctor eyed carefully before looking up at me – a smile no longer on his face. I turned from his gaze quickly as the Pevalimon pushed us through into a viewing room, where a microphone and a set of headphones lay waiting.

"I shall leave you," the Pevalimon said.

"Very trusting bunch," the Doctor said without a trace of irony.

I looked at him in amazement.

"What?" he asked as he finally caught my expression.

"They're invading."

"They are?"

"Quietly…but yes."

"Right. First impressions just went out the window. So, what do you think this thing is?"

I looked out through the glass panels, noticing the creature I hadn't noticed before. It looked like black sludge covering the floor of the enormous room. I would've thought it was if it hadn't been moving.

"How is that thing supposed to talk? It doesn't even have a mouth."

"Maybe it does."

"Try it out," I said looking at the headphones and the microphone.

He pulled the headphones over his ears and I watched his curious expression falter.

"What?" I asked.

He took the headphones off, still not speaking.

"What Doctor? What did it say?"

"You were right, it doesn't have a mouth. I don't think it said anything. I think I just heard its thoughts."

"Okay," I replied taking that in. "That's reasonable. What was it thinking?"

"A lot of things," he said. "You never just think one thing at a time. I saw into its subconscious too, but the one thing that was there were two words repeated endlessly."

I waited for him to continue, but he didn't. He walked out, back into the room with the Pevalimon.

"Take me to your leader."

They led us out of the room.

"You know that's only the second time I've ever said that."

"Really?" I was surprised, it seemed like you would say it to every alien race.

"Yeah. Except last time I was a different man. There was a different feel in the atmosphere too. I'll probably never say it again. Truth be told, this regeneration is probably most similar to that man. In characteristics and all that. Although…there are some differences."

"Like…"

"Oh you know, thoughts and feelings, likes and dislikes. Strangely enough I quite like turnips nowadays."

I was silent for a moment.

"That was just in case you ever felt like making me something, I like turnips."

"Right. Never going to happen."

"Okay then."

Awkward silence.

"So," I said. "What were those two words that the Orantia was saying?"

"Earth," the Doctor replied as we waited outside the entrance to the great hall, "and death."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Keep the reviews coming in peeps. Here's the next chapter!**

**Don't Expect it to Happen Everyday**

"Not very optimistic thoughts then," I said, accepting what he said without question.

"Well, it depends. If you're the Orantia they might be. I have no idea why though."

We waited in silence for the next five minutes. Him, patiently. Me, not so much.

"Do you ever stand still?" he asked finally after I had been fidgeting with my thumbs and shuffling from side to side for the past two minutes.

"How long are they going to keep us waiting?" I said in retaliation as the doors opened.

"Finally," I sighed.

"Yeah, I don't think you could've lasted much longer."

I shot him a dirty look before noticing my surroundings.

"Wow," was all I managed. The room was like a massive cathedral without the pews. The stain glass windows were only coloured glass that looked out onto the white snow falling outside. But the whole appearance was quite elegant. Elegant, yet scary and definitely-

"Human," I finished.

"Okay," the Doctor said. "Random. What's human?"

"Everything about this place. I mean, beside the fact that there are no saints or pictures of Jesus in the windows, it would seem like an ordinary cathedral."

"An excellent observation."

"Did you notice?"

"Of course," he replied, a little bit too quickly.

"Yeah, you're totally lying."

"If you say so." He walked past me towards the centre of the building.

"I do say so," I muttered, following him slowly.

"Hello!" the Doctor called out to the empty room. "Listen to that," he said to me before repeating, "HELLO!"

"Could you get any louder?" I said in a hushed tone.

"I can…HE-"

"Shut up!"

"Oh, right."

I looked around again, scanning for someone who had heard the noise.

"Geez, this Pevalimon leader must be deaf," I commented.

"Weren't you listening before?"

"Uh…no. I wasn't."

He sighed in annoyance, "There was no echo."

"Yes there was…oh. There wasn't."

"Exactly what I was trying to say. Which means this place isn't as big as it seems."

"But you can see it."

He pondered for a moment, looking at the ground. "Well, imagine the Tardis. Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Switch that, and I think that's what we've got here."

"So what you're trying to say," I started as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, "Is that we're probably in some kind of dungeon that's been given this kind of illusion."

"Yeah," he replied pointing the now buzzing and lit up screwdriver at the floor. "That's exactly what I was saying, but it doesn't seem to be right."

I gasped.

"What?" He said, looking up in expectation.

"You just admitted you were wrong!"

"Don't expect it to happen everyday," he warned, putting his screwdriver back in his pocket and walking over to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he sat down on the floor next to me.

"Waiting."

He caught sight of my face and started laughing.

"Don't worry," he said once he was done. "He'll be here in less than a minute."

I sighed and sat next to him just as the doors behind us swung open with a crash.

"Sorry," the Doctor said to me. "She's already here."

As we both stood up quickly – me quite annoyed at the fact that I was bouncing up and down like a yo-yo – the lady walked quickly towards us. I noticed she was human – one hundred percent human my time lord mind was telling me – but dressed in clothes like royalty.

"Doctor," she said inclining her head towards him. "And Erica," she swept into a full curtsy.  
>I looked over at the Doctor, and yes, I felt superior to him. He got a nod, I got a curtsy. He wasn't looking back at me which meant that it got to him.<p>

One point to me.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello again! Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! Here's another chapter. =D.**

**Bluffing**

"So," the Doctor began. "No offence, but who are you? And how do you know who we are."

"We have followed your trail for many years now Doctor. Following you from planet to planet, always one step behind you."

Stalker much?

"But why?" he continued. "This is way too massive. You managed to find an Orantia – a species supposedly extinct – to be your personal oracle."

"Not to mention practically an army of Pevalimon which were also supposed to have been wiped out."

"The Orantia has predicted the future for me for many years, in return for protection from those who would seek to harm him."

"But you haven't been on earth. Someone would've noticed. I mean, I know that the human race is stupid, but they aren't that stupid."

"Excuse me," the lady replied in astonishment.

"Ah, right. Sorry. So, what's this whole 'invasion' about?"

"We prefer the term infiltration. Invasion just seems too, I don't know, evil?"

"And you think that changing the word changes what you're doing?" I asked incredulously. "Just leave us alone."

"Erica," she said, turning to me. "There is no us. You are not one of us."

I saw the Doctor shoot me a puzzled look, but I was too wound up to care.

"As long as I live, I will always be human," I rebutted. "You cannot tell me what I am. You are as human as I am, we both have aspects of ourselves that we don't like to admit, but I think you have more of a reason to be ashamed of yours."

"And what do you mean by that, young Erica."

"I mean that you have betrayed your race by siding with these beings. This oracle and these Pevalimon. You are taking over so silently, that not even the Doctor discovered it until a few hours ago."

"And unfortunately, it was a few hours too late," the lady replied, smiling contentedly.

"What do you mean by that?" the Doctor asked, finally zooming back into the conversation.

"I mean, that your friend here," she pointed to me, "Sped up the invasion process when she captured two of our top spies three months ago. In two hours the invasion will be complete. The children will have already bended to our will. The adults will be powerless beneath their newfound knowledge. No one will even guess that we were behind it now that Torchwood and UNIT have been dealt with."

"What?" I whispered quickly, shock running through me.

"Don't worry," the Doctor said, turning to the lady. "She's bluffing."

"If that's true then she keeps a bloody good poker face." My anxiety was coming out as anger. I could feel my heart rate accelerating. I noted that I should probably learn how to control my emotions, but I definitely wasn't learning it right now.

"Calm down Erica," he replied. "She is bluffing."

"What makes you so sure of that Doctor?" The lady asked.

"Because I've just realised who you are, I've just remembered who the Orantia is, and also how to wipe out an entire Pevalimon army without breaking a sweat."

She scoffed and I smiled. I saw the fear in her eyes.

"Ariella of Parethon. You've been missing for quite a while. I believe your brother is taking over the empire. You could've done it if you'd stayed but, well, that's evil plans for you. The Orantia is the last of its race that has been living in seclusion in the outermost reaches of the Revioa System since the time war. Until you, little Ariella, dug up its hiding place and decided to work with it. But you needed the Pevalimon's intelligence to tell you what it was saying. When they couldn't tell you what it was saying, they told you to find me. So you decided while you were here that you would just you know, take over the planet. No biggie."

"Well done Doctor. But you are no closer to finding the real reason behind everything."

"Well, what I'm guessing is that-"

"You want me," I interrupted.

"Oh, very good Erica."

"What?" the Doctor exclaimed. "You want her?"

"Don't act so astonished. I'm not completely useless."

"Yeah, but I mean, they want you. Over me."

"Wow, I was right. You are cocky."

"Excuse me?"

"Time's ticking away here," I said to Ariella, ignoring the Doctor as I so often did. "So, you get me in exchange for calling off the whole invasion and the earth is returned to completely normal."

"What do you think this is?" Ariella scoffed. "The invasion isn't getting called off. If you don't come with us then we keep you here for the rest of your life."

"Ah. Somehow I doubt that will be pleasant."

"It won't be," Ariella agreed.

"Well then. I am going to hand this conversation back over to the Doctor."

"Oh, so now you stop ignoring me?"

"Just speak."

He turned away from me and walked towards the windows. "See, the one thing you've forgotten is that I said I know how to wipe out an entire Pevalimon army."

"And I don't believe you," Ariella replied.

"Think again," he said. Pointing the screwdriver out of the window towards the building housing the centralized vacuum and the Orantia.

Sirens echoed for miles as the Pevalimon ran towards the source.

"What have you done?" Ariella yelled over the wailing alarm.

"I've just made your life a lot harder."

She screamed a string of swear words in our direction as we ran out of the church back into the elevator. We pretty much walked through the place where our belongings were being held, grabbed them and walked out into the cold. Not one Pevalimon in sight.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied honestly. "I set the alarm off."

"You had no idea how to wipe out the army did you?"

"Nope," he said putting his key into the door of the Tardis.

"You were bluffing," I stated.

"I know. I am amazing aren't I?"

"Seriously, I have no idea how your legs support your massive ego."

"Well it's like they say," he replied stepping into the Tardis. "You don't go, without ego."

"First time I've ever heard something like that," I muttered, closing the door on Antarctica.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry 'bout the wait. It's Christmas which means shopping. Please review! I'd love to know what you think!**

**Where is Yzeio?**

"There is absolutely no way I'm going out there."

The Doctor may have been a Timelord, but he was also the stubbornest person I had ever met.

"C'mon," I grabbed him arm and started to pull him towards the door.

"No!" he attempted to shrug his way out of my grasp unsuccessfully.

"Look, it's not like he's going to try and kill you."

"Maybe not intentionally," the Doctor replied. "But it seems like every time I see him I end up in a near-death experience. With me being a Timelord that's almost impossible. But somehow he managed it."

"Well you've got me here to protect you."

He stopped struggling, looked me dead in the eye and said with a completely straight face, "We're all going to die."

I let go of his arm and turned my head, making positively sure that my long black hair flicked in his face, and walked out of the Tardis and back into the winding tunnels that made up Torchwood.

"Hey!" I yelled out. "Jack! Nara! I'm back!"

A distinct buzzing met my words.

"Jack?" I whispered into the room as emptiness filled my body.

"Doctor!" I yelled.

"What?" he came running out of the Tardis.

"Where are they?"

"What do you-"

"You said she was bluffing. SO WHERE ARE THEY?"

"I-I-"

The Doctor was lost for words, but I was standing there with tears threatening to pour. He ran behind where I was standing and looked up at the wall. He pulled a chair over to a security camera and pulled it from the wall.

"Useless," he said a second later, throwing it over his shoulder. He started to examine the wires behind it.

"Doctor?" I murmured as a tear slipped down my cheek. "There's something in it."

"Hmm?" He looked down before jumping to the floor and pulling a piece of paper from the wreckage of the broken video camera.

"So like Jack," he muttered. "Stick it in a place that I was probably most likely NOT to find it, and then use a code that I have no idea how to decipher."

"Here," I said, holding out my hand and accepting the paper. It was the first code that Jack had taught me when I'd started training. Simply substitute each number that was written with their corresponding letter. It was so simple that no one ever thought that it was that code and they never tried it.

"How can you not know this?" I asked the Doctor incredulously, trying not to choke on my tears. "It says, 'Pevalimon attack. Yzeio. Take the computer software. They can't get a hold of it. Love you."

"Wow, he was running from a swarm of Pevalimon and yet he still had time to express his emotions."

"Jealous?"

"No way," he said in horror. "Who'd want to be in love with you?"

I wasn't in any mood to even respond to him. All I managed was, "We have to get to Yzeio."

The Doctor hesitated. "That might be a problem," he replied finally.

"Doctor," I said evenly. "I don't care if you're on the government's execution list. I want Jack and Nara back here. Safe."

He looked at my face. I didn't know what I looked like when I was crying, but it must have been enough to make the Doctor change his mind and agree that we would at least try to save Jack and Nara.

As he ran into the Tardis, I ran around a corner and quickly opened a safe. I took the hard drive from the vault and ran back to the Tardis. I took one last look around in a desperate attempt to see some hidden message, but all I heard was a computerised voice beginning a countdown.

"Self-destruct in 10, 9, 8-"

I jumped into the Tardis and shut the door quickly. I ran over to the Doctor and watched him hitting all number of knobs and buttons. Kicking and hitting things to get things to work. I went to touch one button, but the Doctor's hand stopped me two centimetres away.

"Don't," he warned as he pushed another final button and the distinctive whooshing sound of the Tardis echoed around us. I ran to find something to hold on to. Eventually I settled on the hand rail that surrounded the main floor. The shaking was expected, but nonetheless, still sudden. It lasted for longer than last time, giving me time to recover from my mood swing. I became neutral once more rather than a hysterical teenager.

When the Tardis came to a stop, the Doctor swivelled the TV screen around to face him. I shot over to him as he focused on the outside view.

"Sorry about before," he muttered, not looking at me.

"Whatever," was my reply. I may be neutral, but I wasn't in the mood for accepting apologies either.

"The thing is…I don't know what that button does. Everybody seems to gravitate towards it. I mean, just because its bright red, people seem to think that means 'PRESS ME'. Knowing the Tardis, it's probably some kind of self-destruct or something."

I simply nodded and focused my attention to the screen as he was. Streams of people were walking past where we were standing.

"They're human," I stated.

"Yeah," the Doctor said with a frown. "That's not right."

He flicked a few switches and the lights dimmed. A hologram of the Galai System formed behind me.

"Wow," I breathed. "That wasn't in any of Torchwood's books."

"I know," the Doctor replied, a smile in his voice. "A special advantage that my companions get. I only discovered it recently, so you're actually the first person I've shared it with. Keep it to yourself though."

I smiled even though it probably wasn't the appropriate time. He'd shared the map with me, and called me his companion. However, I sobered immediately when the Doctor pointed to where we were.

"We aren't supposed to be here," I whispered.

"The co-ordinates are that of Yzeio," he said, pointing back at the screen. "But by the look of the people, it's a humanoid inhabited planet. The only planet like that within this solar system is Hyama...but people from Hyama have green-tinged skin."

"Then where are we?"

The Doctor looked up at me with a helpless expression.

"I don't know."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry for my extended absence but I hope you had a very merry Christmas or a well deserved break – pick one of the two. Here's another chapter – reviews very much appreciated!**

**Revolving Around Me**

The look of confusion on the Doctor's face wasn't reassuring in the slightest. I watched his eyes darting across the screen and I walked across the floor and opened the Tardis door, stepping outside into the crowded street.

The yells and screams that I heard didn't even hint to me that perhaps there might be something wrong. But as I started walking around and there was always a pathway in front of me, I started to think that maybe people were avoiding me.

"Excuse me," I started, talking to a shopkeeper. "Is there something going on around here?"

"No," he replied a bit too quickly.

"It's alright," I said. "You can trust me."

He looked out onto the street, checked that no one was listening and leant closer to me whispering, "They look like you, but they are not. They carry themselves like earthen humans, but they are mindless monsters. They share not, our amber eyes."

I nodded, assuming that he spoke of the Pevalimon. "You might find this a stupid question, but where are we."

"Ziera," he replied. "The capital of Hiamara."

I searched my brain. Hiamara. That was a country in...

"Parethon," I panted to the Doctor as I entered the Tardis after my sprint back there. "We're in Parethon."

"How do you know?" he asked in astonishment.

"I asked."

"Uh...okay."

"I know. It's something you rarely think to do. Life would probably be a lot easier for a lot of people if you weren't so self-centred."

"I'm not self-centred," he replied, not looking at me. "I'm self-reliant. When you live like I do, you have to be."

"But you have me," I replied, walking around to where he was.

"For now."

I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He turned to face me. Covering the screen with his back, he leaned against the controls and spoke to me with a serious face.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. I want you to answer as honestly as possible."

"What are you, a psychologist?"

But he continued.

"Pink or blue?"

"Blue."

"Black or white."

"White."

I was still at a complete loss as he continued asking random questions without stopping.

"Books or TV?"

"Books."

"Air force or Navy?"

Wow, these were getting even more random.

"Navy."

"Flowers or chocolate."

"Flowers."

"Karate or Tai chi."

"Karate."

"Me or Jack."

"You."

I clapped my hand over my mouth in horror. I had blurted that out without thinking, but he didn't wait for me to explain. He stepped aside letting me see the screen.

Jack was clutching a sharp metal pole. Nara lay unconscious at his feet. I couldn't tell if she was alive or not. But he was surrounded by dozens of dead Parethonians.

"No," I breathed. But he looked around the room and walked out of it and out of view of the camera. I could no longer see him. "It's not...he wouldn't-"

The Doctor placed his arm over my shoulder and I fell into him crying.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

But I cried on.

xxxxx

I clutched the pylon that was becoming all too familiar to me as the Tardis took off. I didn't care about what happened to Jack anymore. Not after seeing what he had done. I had to find Nara. I had to save her if I could.

As we stopped, I ran out of the Tardis into the room. In my hysterical mind, I could almost see Jack standing there. But he wasn't, and for that I was grateful. I never wanted to see him again.

I ran to Nara as soon as I spotted her amongst the mass of bodies. I felt a great rush of relief as I saw her stir.

"Nara," I breathed. "Thank God you're alive! What happened?"

"It was um...and attack, I think. One minute we stood next to the Pevalimon, chained. The next moment we were unchained and we were facing a group of Parethonians who were cowering in fear. Jack stood next to me with a metal pole that he got from God-knows-where, and he was prepared to attack. I started to stop him, but he hit me with it across the head. Then you woke me up."

"Was there anything else?"

"No," she said. "But, wait, yes. Jack, his eyes weren't normal. They were red, like the Pevalimon."

That's what the shopkeeper guy had said. They had strange eyes. I'd assumed he was talking only about the Pevalimon, but perhaps they had done something. Perhaps Jack hadn't ever actually done those things. At least not purposely. They'd found dome way of brain controlling the both of them. Suddenly, I felt my hatred vanish, only to be replaced by a burning resolve. I would find Jack no matter what.

"Come on," I said to Nara. "We need to find him."

We stepped back into the Tardis. I heard Nara's "Whoa!" as we walked inside, but I ignored it and ran to the Doctor.

"It wasn't him," I said excitedly.

"Excuse me?"

"The Pevalimon did something. He was changed in some way. His eyes went red and he attacked them. That's not Jack."

The Doctor was hesitant but he let me look at where we needed to go on the screen.

"Why is that everything that's happening now seems to cut me out of the picture?"

"Because," I began. "Pretty much every adventure you and your companions gone on revolves around you and you love it."

"True..."

"Well this time. It's revolving around me."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: All right my lovelies. I'm back! Apologies for the delay in updating but it is holidays for me. But I'm back to school in two weeks and therefore back to schedule. So please read and review!**

**I Can't Trust Anyone**

The Doctor and I ran around the controls, both of us working out where to go.

"Wow," the Doctor said, without stopping his movements. "You weren't kidding when you said you were a fast learner."

"I rarely kid," I replied. "I say a lot, and most of it is sarcastic, or whining, or know-it-all-ish, but I rarely joke."

The Tardis jolted and I yelled out, "Hold on to something Nara!"

"Thanks for the warning," she replied haughtily, her voice muffled.

"No problem," I yelled back, falling to the ground as the Tardis landed.

"Well, that was a short trip," I grunted, standing up slowly. I was finally starting to feel the effects of Tardis-travel. Namely, a sore back and muscles and what felt like a twisted ankle. Mind you, I'd had worse from a doorframe. Don't ask how.

"It was a short distance," the Doctor explained, more to Nara than me.

"Are we ready?" I asked as I looked at the screen, showing a view of outside.

"What are we facing?"

"Um...about sixty, maybe seventy armed Pevalimon."

"Excellent," the Doctor said, pulling his sonic screwdriver out and twirling it in his fingers. "This should be a challenge."

"You are the craziest person I have ever met Doctor."

"I know," he said with a grin. "That's what makes me so fun."

I ran next to him, and turned to face Nara.

"Come on!" I said to her excitedly. "Don't you want to be there the day that the Pevalimon finally get defeated?"

"Alright," she responded, walking towards us. And in single file we walked out the door.  
>We seemed to have materialised in the middle of some sort of speech. But obviously the cheers were loud enough to cover the Tardis noise.<p>

It took me a while to see that Ariella was the one doing the talking and Jack stood behind her looking at her reverently. My grasp on the Tardis door handle tightened until my knuckles were white.

"Erica," the Doctor said. "I don't think the Tardis is supposed to be used for stress relief."

"That's just because you've never tried," I replied, but nevertheless let go of the door handle reluctantly.

"They must be found!" Ariella shouted.

"YES!" came the replying yell from the Pevalimon.

"They must suffer!"

"YES!"

"I'm not liking the sound of this," I whispered to Nara. She nodded her head in response.

"This isn't a good place to be right now," the Doctor muttered.

"Too late," I moaned. The Pevalimon had turned around and it was only then that I realised we were blocking the doorway.

"You are never going to be put in control of the Tardis EVER again," the Doctor said as cheers erupted around us and we were quickly bound. "Why would you park it there?"

"It's all a part of my grand master plan."

"Which is?" he inquired.

I actually had no clue.

"It's MY plan. Meaning it doesn't involve you."

"Lovely. Great to see you trust me after all this time."

"Have you ever given me reason to? And really, all this time? I've known you all of what…five hours?"

"That's plenty of time to learn to trust someone. And as to reasons…"

"Yes…"

"I'm the Doctor," he said facing the crowd of Pevalimon gathered at the foot of the stage.

"A title doesn't convince me," I replied. "Names don't even convince me. So that kind of puts you down the bottom of my trust list." I stood next to him, noticing as I did that Nara wasn't looking out at the crowd trying to find an escape. She was looking to the right, directly at Jack. And Jack was looking back at her. I looked between them, but no jealousy flashed through me as I noticed the intensity of their gaze. I realised that I had the Doctor now. And we were all about to die anyway. What was the point in being angry?

Nara turned back to the crowd with a small smile on her face.

"Jack's back to normal," she whispered, barely moving her lips.

I glanced back and saw that the red had vanished from his eyes but he still maintained the stature he had before.

"Quieten down," Ariella cried out to her Pevalimon followers. "Soon our plans will be accomplished. Soon the earthling child will be dead. Finally paying the blood debt owed by her ancestors."

"You've got to be kidding me," I scoffed. "You have done all this. Plans within plans. Because you have a grudge against my family?"

"Because of your family," she said, walking towards me. "My father grew up as a disfigured freak. Because of your family I grew up in a broken home. Because of your family, I never had the empire that was rightfully mine. The earth was ideal. A way to get back at you. And a way to claim my kingdom. Then you and your precious Doctor had to go and ruin it all by turning the Orantia against me!"

"That wasn't our fault," the Doctor muttered.

"Silence!"

"I'm not my family," I said quietly.

"But you hold their sins!" she yelled. "And now you will pay for them."

She pushed me to my knees and held a knife to my throat.

"Do you have any last words Human Timelord?" she whispered in my ear.

"Look behind you."

"Funny. My back is protected by someone I trust. I think you know him."

"Perhaps you put too much trust in your technology. Or you underestimate the human will to survive."

"You know nothing about what I can do," Ariella hissed. "I am going to kill you child. If you wanted to die laughing you should've never had your consciousness reawakened. Perhaps I would've let you live your human life until you died from internal bleeding."

I felt fear travel through me. Where the hell was Jack? I was stalling, but I was pretty sure than in three seconds I would be dying unless he intervened-

"NOW!"

I elbowed Ariella in the shin and pushed the knife away from my neck with my bound hands in one swift movement. Next moment I had the knife in my hand and had turned to face her.

"This isn't the way!" I said to her, throwing the knife aside.

"This is the only way," she responded with contempt. "You understand noth-"

A resounding BANG echoed around the room.

"No!" I yelled. But I was too late.

Ariella placed her hand on her chest and pulled it away – covered with blood.

"And so it ends here," Ariella whispered, falling to her knees and flat on the floor.

I looked up at Jack, horrified. How could he do it? How could he do something like that?

"We have to get out of here," he said, emotionlessly, holding his hand out to me. I shied away from him.

"You're living proof," I whispered.

"Proof of what?" he asked in confusion.

"That I can't trust anyone."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts! Keep 'em coming! I love to know what you think!**

**My Decision**

The Pevalimon dispersed quickly with no need for violence as soon as they saw their fallen leader. A few of them had confused looks on their alien faces. Probably wondering what they were going to do with their lives now that evil plans had fallen through. They were heading back to their ships and off into the distance. I watched all this from the doorway that led out into the fields beyond.

"They're going home."

Jack's voice brought me back down to earth and I turned to him.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"The Doctor," he shrugged.

"Oh. Right." I turned away again.

"I really am sorry Erica," Jack said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"I know you are," I replied softly, placing my hand on top of his. "But…I'm not coming back with you Jack."

"What?" he exclaimed, his hand slipping off my shoulder. "But it's all over now."

I chuckled under my breath. "Really Jack? Is it ever really over?"

"Well…no," he admitted. "But it doesn't mean I don't want you home any less."

"Jack," I whispered. "In case you didn't realise. This is me breaking up with you."

"I did realise. I'd just hoped you weren't being serious."

I turned back around to him. "For once in my life, I'm actually being really serious."

"Well, my heart has been broken many times before," he replied. "Although, not by anyone as young as you. You should feel very proud of yourself Erica Scotts. Upon our meeting you bruised me, and in our goodbye you break me."

"Jack-"

"It's alright Erica. I've lived for many years, and I'll live for many more. I'll be bruised and broken many more times."

"Jack," I started again. "Do you love Nara?"

"What?" he said.

"Do. You. Love. Nara. I can spell it out for you if you want."

"Um…I-"

"Nara!" I called. She stepped out from behind a pillar looking sheepish.

"Sorry," she murmured, turning away.

"Nonsense," I said, skipping over to her and pulling her by her arm over to Jack.

"Now. I want this to be like a marriage counselling session or something. But without the marriage. Or the counselling. I don't like counsellors…but anyway. What I do want is honesty. So in other words, and Jack I know you're not very good at this, I want you to express your feelings."

"And who says you weren't born to be a counsellor," Nara started.

"SHH!" I said. "I want this happening within the next thirty seconds."

10 seconds past.

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked after another twenty seconds of silence.

Nara smiled apologetically in my direction.

"Fine," I put up my hands in defeat. "But when you two lovebirds have little green feet running around on the floor of the uh, new Torchwood, I want one named after me!"

I ran out of there fast enough to not hear the responding comments, but leaving enough time to see them hold hands. I smiled and walked back into the room where the Tardis was just in time to see him walk out of the door.

"Jack and Nara are having a little heart to heart."

"I've seen stranger couples," he said understandingly. "Unless that was just a movie I saw in Daretore…"

He trailed off, actually looking like he was thinking hard.

"I never know when you're joking Doctor."

"Truth be told, neither do I," he responded. "But I think it's time to be off. We need to return Ariella's body to her family."

"Right."

"I would let Jack do the talking, but he's never been great at explanations, or empathising."

"Funnily enough. Neither are you."

"That is exactly why you're going to do it."

"Do what?" I said feigning stupidity.

He simply shot me that exasperated look and walked into the Tardis just as Nara and Jack came around the corner.

"Glad to see that you two have kissed and made up because we're leaving. Into the Tardis."  
>Jack walked in quickly, but Nara stayed with me outside.<p>

"Thank you," she said, surprisingly, leaning over and giving me a hug. "I can't ever thank you enough."

"You were made for each other Nara. I can't be there for him. And it's going to take him a long time to earn back my trust. I've seen the way you two look at each other. It doesn't take a genius in a blue box to figure that one out."

She smiled once again before following Jack into the Tardis. And taking one last look at Parethon through the window, I followed them.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So…I have no excuse…but…here's a chapter to start making up for it!**

**Makes Me Wonder**

"Am I truly to believe that this was an accident?"

"Of the worst kind my liege, but an accident still."

Wow, I had never talked like that before.

"I suppose that she should be buried in some kind of formal ceremony."

"If you wish. I believe this situation is out of my hands now."

Ariella's corpse lay between me and the emperor, her brother. It seemed the Doctor was right; he had been taking over the empire. And by the looks of it, he'd succeeded as well.

"Just out of curiosity," the emperor began. "How did she die?"

"Bullet wound to the chest," I said truthfully, but then lying without a second thought. "There was a riot, one of the Pevalimon's guns fired. Next moment she was dead. The Pevalimon are one, and I don't think they'll be coming back."

"Shame," he replied, pulling a cloth out from under the table and covering his sister's body. "They would have been useful allies."

Okay…that wasn't what I was expecting. Maybe a rampage, a few death threats….

"You seem to be wondering about the emotions I feel for my sister," the emperor said, examining my face.

"Sire?"

"I could see it on your face," he replied by way of explanation. "But my sister wasn't the sisterly type. More of the I-don't-want-you-around-so-why-are-you-still-alive type."

"Harsh."

"She was. She obsessed constantly over royalty, and was convinced that we were the rightful heirs."

"Yeah," I said. "She did say something about that."

"About a year ago, our time, she left to places unknown. The next knowledge we had of her was today. All of the love we gave her was never enough. She used to yell at me saying that our family was broken. That the reason my father was disfigured was because of a certain Earthen family that she never told me the name of. But I did not believe it. So we grew apart. Each of us choosing different paths to follow towards the same goal. Hers was a path of destruction. Mine was one of peace."

"I can definitely see the difference." Looking out the window I saw all the smiling children and happy families.

"I will see to it that the fitting funeral arrangements are made," the emperor said. "Thank you Erica."

"You're welcome Your Highness."

I walked out of the room, around the corner, through the foyer and out into the courtyard.

"So what did he say?" the Doctor asked, coming into step alongside me.

"The complete opposite of what you told me he'd say."

"He didn't really care," the Doctor replied, astounded. "Some kind of family."

"Yeah," I murmured. "It makes me wonder though…"

"Makes you wonder what? What caused the hatred towards your family? I think it's pretty obvious that she was jealous."

"But what if it runs deeper than that?" I looked up at the Doctor. "We have a time machine."

"We do."

"We've got a mystery to solve."

"So it seems."

"Why are we still here?"

"Ah."

We turned and ran across the courtyard to where the Tardis was standing.

"Where are you two going in such a hurry?" Nara asked as we ran past her.

"We're going back to Earth," I replied. "And back in time."

"Seriously?" Nara questioned, excitement showing on her face.

"Yep," I responded turning a dial and pulling a lever. "JACK!"

"What?" he came running from wherever he'd been and stood, waiting for me to tell him what to do.

"That button there," I yelled, pointing across the Tardis controls.

"Gotcha," he replied, moving to where I had pointed.

Nobody needed any warning when the Tardis started moving. All of us had already been holding onto something.

"Where are we going?" I shouted over the Tardis noise.

"1842," the Doctor responded. "More or less."

"If we end up in the Middle Ages I'm going to kill you."

"If we were in the Middle Ages, you might not have to."

"Touché."

"But this is just a wild guess considering I have no idea when this whole thing started."

"So we still might end up in the middle ages?" I asked as the Tardis stopped moving and the Doctor started walking out of the door.

"Well, that depends," he responded.

"On what?"

"On how far back you can track your family tree."

"The eighteen hundreds," I said grudgingly.

"Anything more specific."

I had to think for another moment. I tried remembering the picture of our family tree. Eighteen…

"Thirty-eight," I finished. "1838."

A minute later after some more time travel, and placing a perception filter on Nara - we didn't think people were going to be very accepting when they saw a green face looking at them - we stepped out of the Tardis onto a cobbled street.

"Out of the way!" a voice yelled out angrily, forcing us to back into the Tardis or get trampled by the oncoming horse and carriage. Unfortunately, the mud still hit us.

But the Doctor being the Doctor simply nodded, straightened his coat and walked down the road with the three of us trailing closely behind. "We're in the right place," he called back to us.


	16. Chapter 16

You Shouldn't Do Things That I Should

"So, we actually made it?" It was my first time time-travelling and I didn't want it to be ruined by it not even happening.

"Look Erica, I know you're imaginative, but I don't think that smell can be imagined."

"Right. So, what are we planning to do?"

"Well, it was your idea to come here. Why don't you lead the mission?"

"Really?" I got excited.

"God no," the Doctor said. "Last time I let you do something that I was supposed to do you almost got us killed."

"So you're saying that you won't get us killed?"

"No, I'm saying that you shouldn't do things that I should."

"Well," I began. "I'm not the one who landed in Antarctica, checked what was outside, and still managed to get captured."

"Yeah, well, you landed the Tardis in a room FULL of Pevalimon! Need I say more?"

"You-"

"Alright!" Jack said, cutting off his conversation with Nara. "Can we please go somewhere? You're both giving me a headache."

"Sorry," we mumbled in unison.

The Doctor turned a corner before muttering to me. "What was your ancestor's name?"

"Jeriana Smith," I replied. "If we really are in 1838."

"How could you doubt me?"

"I don't doubt you as a whole person. I simply doubt your ability to fly the Tardis correctly."

"Erica," the Doctor answered. "Please remember that the only reason you are here is because of my inability to fly the Tardis."

"Yes, but what if here isn't here. What if here is somewhere or sometime else?"

"Wow. Once you get over how weird that sentence sounds, it actually makes sense."

I gave him a dark look and he walked over to one of the people manning a shop on the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" I questioned.

"What you say that I never seem to do."

I laughed inwardly. He was going to ask someone where he was.

"Port Jackson," the man said in a gruff voice.

The Doctor looked back at me with an I-told-you-so look.

"What's the date?" I mouthed across to him.

"You been down the pub last night mate?" the man replied as the Doctor relayed my words. "It's the thirty-first of December 1838. Here's today's paper. You can check."

"Thanks," the Doctor said before coming back to me. "Why do people always think I'm drunk when I ask them what the date is?"

"Maybe you have that kind of shifty look about you," I replied. "And by the way, congratulations. You made it in the right year. Even if it was only by a day."

"But you never gave me a specific date," he replied with a superior look on his face. "I even asked someone something-"

"Oh no," I whispered as a highly detailed copy of my family tree flashed before my eyes.

"That's never a good beginning to a sentence," the Doctor muttered.

"Jeriana dies on the 1st of January, 1840."

"That gives us a day to find her."

"It shouldn't be too hard," Jack said. "I mean, it's not like we're searching London."

"I wouldn't bet on it."

"I would," Nara spoke whilst looking over my shoulder.

"What's ther-"

But at the end of the road walking around wearing a long dress holding an umbrella was a person who looked almost like an 1800s version of me. But she had blond hair beneath her bonnet.

"I'm guessing that's Jeriana?" the Doctor asked.

"Yep."

"Yes."

"Yeah," I finished.

"Let's go and meet the ancestors," the Doctor said, walking down the road towards the woman.


	17. Chapter 17

The Library

"Mrs. Smith," the Doctor said, bending from the waist. Jack and Nara were walking the streets without us. So it was only me who followed with a slight curtsey.

"We were wondering if we might have a chat with you, possibly indoors."

Jeriana who had not yet spoken, looked up at the Doctor with a furrowed brow, glanced at me quickly before replying, "I suppose. But who are you?"

"My name is the Doctor and this is Erica."

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor."

She turned away muttering under her breath.

"I don't think that she likes me very much," the Doctor mumbled to me.

"No I don't think she does."

"Oh well," he said. "I guess you can't have everything in life."

As we entered a house that was just off the main street, Jeriana hung up her umbrella and removed her bonnet. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes please," the Doctor replied.

"So," she called out from the kitchen as we made our way towards her voice. "I guess that you're here to inquire as to why my slave girl was freed last week?"

"Yes," the Doctor said, pulling his psychic paper from his pocket. "As a matter of fact that is what we're here for. But, considering we're in town, and you seem to be in the know, we were wondering if you know anybody with the surname Deiyan? The family comes from Parethon."

I could see on his face that the Doctor was expecting her to lead them into a more private room and tell them all about it, but instead she just set about making tea, replying as she did, "I can't say that I have. It's an unusual name. And place. Are you sure that the they're correct?"

"Quite sure," the Doctor responded.

"Well, perhaps a bit further south of town you might find them. And how many sugars in your tea?"

"Just one thanks."

"Me too," I replied quickly before removing myself from their presence.

I stepped out of the room silently and quickly searched the bottom floor. Finding nothing helpful to our cause, I shifted my search up the stairs, entering a library of sorts that carried way too many books. My eyesight immediately zoned in on the bookshelf that looked the oldest.

'Where did your companion go?' I heard Jeriana's voice carry up the stairs.

'She just had to duck outside for a moment.'

'Oh. So I expect you wish to hear about the slave girl.'

'I'm all ears.'

'Well...'

I closed the door to the hallway which silenced all noise from the outside world, making it eerily quiet and almost scary.

The sunlight coming from the open windows shone upon the chintz chairs either side of the room, and a small shelf above the doorframe. Carefully, I reached up and pulled the nearest book down, noticing as I did that it was a diary. Jeriana's diary.

"Now we're getting somewhere," I muttered, walking across the room and sitting down in one of the chairs.

I hesitantly turned the brittle pages, quickly scanning pages for anything helpful. But problems arose in the form of a baby crying.

"Damn," I muttered, getting up and opening the door. I tiptoed across the wooden floorboards into the room across the hall where my great-great-great grandmother was crying.

"Hello Georgiana," I whispered looking down at her. I had her eyes. They were obviously a hereditary feature that carried through many generations.

"That's little Georgiana," I heard Jeriana tell the Doctor. "If you'll excuse me. The nurse must be occupied."

I shot back across the hallway and into the library, closing the door behind me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard Jeriana walked past into Georgiana's room. Walking back over to where the diary sat, I picked it up and reached up to put it back, accidentally pulling down the book next to it as I did. Or at least, I thought i did...

But it didn't move.

I dragged a chair over and stood on it, attempting to pull out the book, but it simply refused to move. I emptied the shelf of all the other books and noticed that when I did, there wasn't any back to the shelf. All I could see was darkness.

Then I figured out that it was probably a trap, but by then it was too late.

The top part of my body was sucked into the abyss, followed by the rest of my body. I yelled out, but as I twisted to see the way I had come, I realised it was already shut. I began to panic as I became conscious of the fact that I was trapped. That's why I was so surprised when I landed on a hard floor.

"What now?" I whimpered, getting up from the ground stiffly. I turned around to see a dull blue light surrounding me.

And I felt devoid of emotion as I stared helplessly at Jeriana's dead Tardis.


	18. Chapter 18

Oblivious

It was almost pitch black except for a tiny light coming from the centre, which allowed me just enough light to see the layers of dust that coated every inch of the main room.

I'd never seen another Tardis before; therefore it surprised me that it could be so different to the Doctor's. Almost everything was in a different position and the controls were so much more ordered. But it was sad.

I felt so cold as I walked across the floor – my fingers tracing the dust-covered controls. My eyes wandered over the open books on a bookshelf to the side, lingering on an open one.

"It is time," I read out loud. "Georgiana is born, so now it cannot harm her. Her life will bear the burden of my mistakes, but I cannot live with the knowledge that I have killed and maimed others. It is better this way since now I can never return home. Earth is the only place I can be free. And even though I will not remember myself, or my planet, or my people; the Timelords will live on in my children even after Gallifrey is destroyed."

She knew.

I closed the book sharply and placed it back on its shelf. She knew that Gallifrey was going to be destroyed and yet did nothing to stop it. How could someone do something like that?

I kicked the Tardis in anger, gaining nothing but a sore foot. But as I did, I realised that I wasn't angry at Jeriana for ignoring the downfall of Gallifrey. I was angry at her for becoming a human and running away from her problems.

"Why did you do it?!" I yelled out to the empty space. "Why couldn't you have stayed a Timelord! You could've travelled, fixed your problems – I wouldn't have had to come here to get your help! You would've been there to help me in the first place!"

But then I wouldn't have met the Doctor.

I swallowed. I probably wouldn't have even been born….

"But why can't you just remember," I whispered hopelessly, slumping onto the Tardis controls in defeat.

"Erica Scotts."

I jumped back away from the controls in surprise.

"Jeriana?" I asked confusedly, staring at the screen.

"I have heard of you child," she said, obviously not hearing me. It must have been a pre-recorded message. "In my ventures through the 21st century, you were there. And on the 22nd of June 2011, lying on a beach in the Caribbean, I got a message. That message told me to leave you this. For this exact date and time, telling you of my life. But more specifically, the wrongdoings I committed against my people and my friends."

I stared at the screen in amazement – obviously it was in my future that I would send that message.

"Eldor Deiyan was my best friend. He travelled with me for a while…but we were attacked…" Past-Jeriana trailed off. "I couldn't help him. He survived…but severely disfigured. I felt so guilty – and he was only nineteen."

That explained Ariella's rant about her father growing up as a freak.

"But it got worse. His family disowned him when he finally came back home and he was kicked out to live like a peasant."

And there's the reason why Ariella never had the throne.

"After my rebellious teenage streak I went back to Gallifrey. I arrived just as we were on the verge of war."

"I got into a fight with my father and he pretty much told me I was disowned. Told me never to darken on his doorstep ever again and so I ran off. Being young and naïve, I had no idea that there was a war going on at the time. So I stole a Tardis. Now that I look back on it, I wonder why nobody else ever did that, but I ran. I ran to Earth, and I never travelled again. This is the last time I'm ever setting foot in here. Tomorrow I'll be human – and no enemy of a Timelord will ever bother me again."

"This Tardis is yours now Erica. It will re-awaken when it feels the need to, but you might need to persuade it. You might be the last child of Gallifrey, so I hope that you will do some good with it."

I gulped as I watched her reaching to turn off the camera.  
>"Actually," Jeriana said, pulling back, "by the way…if you ever get the chance, steal the locket that's in a cabinet in the library. Don't destroy it, but keep it safe. And never open it until after I'm dead. Good luck Erica."<p>

The screen went blank.

I took one last look around before searching for a door and walking out into the library once more. This time in a somewhat more convenient way. I'd walked out of a different wall, a bookshelf that swung forward like a door.

"Well," I said to the Tardis. "I guess we definitely know that you know how to disguise yourself." I swung the door back into place and made sure that it was closed properly before turning back around and sighing to myself. I still had to put all the books back that I'd pulled out.

After cleaning up the room, I opened the cabinet underneath one of the windows and put the golden locket in my pocket.

I heard Jeriana's footsteps echo down the hallway in the opposite direction to the stairs, so I took that opportunity to run back downstairs.

"What did you find out?" the Doctor asked as I sat down delicately.

"A lot," I whispered in reply as Jeriana came down the stairs.

"I'm afraid I might be a while," she apologised.

"That's alright," the Doctor said, standing up. "We'd best be off anyway. It was lovely to meet you."

"You too Doctor. And Erica."

I smiled as I saw her nod her head at us. Oblivious to the fact that she stood across from the two direct links to her home planet. Oblivious to the fact that she even had a home planet.

We walked outside and met up with Jack and Nara.

"Jeriana's mother accidentally killed a member of Ariella's family who came to Earth," I lied. "I read it in one of her diaries. As to the other stuff…I think that Ariella was just a bit distraught and needed someone to pin her problems on."

The Doctor sighed, "And I was hoping it was going to be some big conspiracy."

Jack, Nara and I shared a glance that showed they knew I was lying.

"How can he not know?" Nara asked me as we waited outside while the Doctor and Jack got the Tardis ready.

"I don't think he wants to," I replied, looking into the room.

"But if you're both Timelords, shouldn't he at least feel something connecting you-"

"I don't think he remembers what it's like to stand side by side another one. And I think my humanity outshines the other part of me."

"What are you two gas bagging about?" The Doctor asked, sticking his head out of the Tardis.

"Nothing," I murmured, stepping past him into the Tardis, followed quickly by Nara.

"And off we go," the Doctor said, pulling down a lever, causing the floor to shake immediately.

I stared at his smiling face, deciding that if he was happy being oblivious, perhaps he was better left that way.


	19. Chapter 19

It's done

"It's done," I said as I walked back to Jack and Nara from the post box in which I had just placed a letter to Jeriana.

"Where's the Doctor gone?" Nara asked.

"I told him there was something wrong with the secondary flight mechanism. He should be there for a while."

"Are you ever going to tell him about what you are?" Jack asked. "He'll find out sometime."

"I'm hoping he won't."

Jack frowned. "Any particular reason why?"

"He'll think I'm not meant to exist. Which I'm not, but I want to travel with him. However quickly it ends."

"So you're not coming back to work for us?"

I smiled and shook my head.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot."

"ERICA!" the Doctor yelled out of the Tardis at me. "There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this flight mechanism."

"Whoops," I called back. "I guess I made a mistake."

The Doctor came walking out muttering under his breath.

"Sorry. Didn't catch that."

"Nothing," he murmured. "So, where are you folks off to."

"Build a new institute I suppose. Considering the last one exploded."

"That was not my fault," the Doctor said. "You almost killed me. Again."

"Habit," Jack responded. "I suppose we'd better go before I end up accidentally trying to kill you. Again."

"Aww...so soon?" I asked.

"It's time to rebuild Erica. Masterpieces don't happen overnight."

"Depends on who you are," I responded giving him a hug. "Take care," I continued, hugging Nara. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"We won't," they responded in unison, and slightly too quickly.

"See you," the Doctor said as they began to walk away, waving as they did.

"What made you think that I'd still want you tagging along?"

"Tagging along?" I asked incredulously.

"As my companion."

I nodded, satisfied with his answer. "I figure it's easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission."

I got a grunt in response.

"So, I take it that I can stay."

"Yes. You do help occasionally."

My expression became one of shock.

"I help?"

"Did I say that?"

But I couldn't help smiling.

"So," I began, walking back into the Tardis, "where do you think that we're going now?"

"I suppose I could let you fly..."

"What?!"

"I'm feeling a bit lenient today."

"I'll say. What happened to 'You shouldn't do anything that I should'?"

He shrugged, "Turning a blind eye sometimes works."

"Then you'd better hold on," I said running up and pushing the Tardis into flight. An – if it was possible – bumpier that usual flight.

"I take that back," he yelled at me, holding onto the railing. "Turning a blind eye never works."

"Learn to have some fun Doctor."

"I do have fun, just not this kind of fun."

I had an idea.

"We are going to go and have some fun," I said, hitting some different buttons and looking at the Doctor's vaguely worried face and continuing...

"My kind."

**A/N: THE NEXT ONE STORY WILL BE UP SOON! LOOK OUT FOR IT - "BEFORE YOU DIE"**


End file.
